Machine for folding and shearing sheet metal.



0. P.COLLINS.

` MACHINE FOR FOLDING AND SHEARING SHEET METAL.

APPLICATION FILED JULY I3. 1915.

Patented Apr. 3, 1917.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I FII-3 2.

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O. P. COLLINS. MACHINE Fon FOLDING AND SHEARING SHEETNETAL.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2* nrrn rrr OLIVER P. COLLINS, 0F IVICKEESPORT,PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR GF ONE-THIRD TO THOMASJY. CROSS AND ONE-THIRD TOBYRD REESE FEE, BOTH OF PITTSBURGH,

PENNSYLVANIA. v

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 3, 191'?.

Application filed J'u1y`13, 1915. Serial No. 39,611.

To all whom t may concern.:

Be it known that l, OLIVER P. CoLLrNs, a citizen of the United States,residing at Mc- Keesport, in the county of Allegheny and State ofPennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inMachines for Folding and Shearing Sheet Metal, of which the following isa specification.

My invention relates to that class of machines which is designed to foldsheet metal, such as tin plate, etc., and my particular obj ect is toprovide a machine which will receive a plurality of metal sheets whichare cut to approximately the desired size, to fold them together upontheir middle line, and to shear the ends to exact uniformity on a trueline.

In order to accomplish this object, Tprovide means for receiving theplates, means for adjusting them in a true position rela-y tive to mymachine and to hold them in such position, and means to fold themtogether and simultaneously shear off the ends of the plates, leavingthem a predetermined size.

In rolling very thin metal plates, such as tin plate, it is necessary toroll a plurality of sheets together, since the rolls will not accuratelyoperate to the minimum thickness required for a single plate. Thereforeit is customary to roll the single plates as thin as can be doneconveniently, then to fold two of the sheets together, making a four plyinfolded set of sheets, and again to roll this set to the minimumthickness, etc. My machine is designed to do this folding.

The plates come from the rolls with one end ragged, and with the sideportions extending,

longitudinally beyond a middle receding portion in the form of a fishtail. l provide means for shearing the ragged end to a true line, whilethey are being folded.

Further objects'and functions of themachine will appear in thespecification below.

Referring to the drawings,-

Figure 1 is a view in sectional elevation showing the generalarrangement of my machine and its driving mechanism.

Fig. 2 is a cross section through the folding table on the line Il. Il.of Fig. 1, showing the arrangement of an air cylinder and the adjusting`and gripping forks operated thereby.

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the folding table in open position.

Figs. 4 and 5 show the details of a clutch., and a foot pedal designedto operate it.

The construction and operation of my machine isas follows:

A motor li/ drives gear wheel l2 by means of intermediate gear wheel 11.Connected to the shaft 13, upon which is fixed the wheel 12, is thecrank 14, which in turn is connected by link 15 to the gear sector 16.The link 15 is pinned loosely at each of its ends. The gears of sector16 mesh with the gears of sector 17, which is fixed on a shaft 18. Thefolding member or platen 19 is also fixed on the shaft 18. This memberhas at its outer edge a flange 19a which is adapted to retain on itsinner side a detachable cutting knife 20 by any suitable form ofattachment, such as bolts 21. This folding member is of such dimensionsthat when turned over upon the table 22 the knife 2O will just pass overthe knife 28 which is set on the outer edge of the table, and shear offthe surplus from the folded plates.

The operator stands on the side having the folding member and feeds themetal sheets onto the table members, shoving them forward until theirinner ends bear against the face of knife 20 and their outer ends restagainst the spring supported guard 38, by their middle receded portions.ln order to square the sheets upon the table and insure that theyexactly conform to each other edgewise without overlap, laterally movingarms 24ore provided. Slots 25 in the table 22 are left, through 'whichthe arms 24 operate. Corresponding slots 2,5a are provided in thefolding member 19. By making these slots of considerable length adapt mymachine to handle plates-of varying width.

Arms 24 at one side and arms 24a at the other side of the middle portionof table 22 are normally apart a suflicient distance to admit of theplacing of a number of assembled sheets, and said arms define thecorners of a rectangle. A cylinder 26 having therein a piston adapted tobe operated by compressed air or other fluid, and a shaft 27, connectedto a lever 28, which in turn is pinned on' the bar 29, and which hasconnecting links and 31 above and below its pivoted point respectively,is provided.

These links at their other ends are connected to the sleeves 32 and 33respectively, which in turn carry the two arms or prongs 24 and 242lrespectively.

It will beunderstood that a source of compressed air 51 is connectedthrough fourway valve 52 and suitable pipes to the cylinder 26, so thatthe prongs 24 and 24fL are positively operated in each direction.Therefore they will grip the edges of the sheets and bring them into'alinement and hold them tightly until the operator throws valve 52 torelease them. y

It will be understood that the sleeves are carefully fitted on the bar29 so that they and the prongs move accurately laterally with respect tothe table 22. By this means, when a plurality' of metal sheets are putyon the table 22, and air is introduced into the cylinder 26, so as todraw the piston in, the

arms or prongs 24 and 24a will be moved in- *y f ward to grip the sidesof the stack of plates.

- is made to drive the shaft 13 intermittently.

rThis clutch is not, per se, a part of my invention, and may be of anydesired construction. There are several standard makes now on themarket, and one form is shown in the drawings in Figs. 4 and 5.

The clutch is designed to be operated by a foot pedal 34 and a plunger34a which engages a cam 35 on the sleeve 3G which is splined on theshaft 13. A spring 37 about the shaft exerts pressure to force the teethon the sleeve 13 into mesh with teeth on the gear wheel 12. However, thecam on the inner face of the sleeve 36 bearing against plunger 34a ofpedal 34 is so designed that at each 4revolution this cam rides upagainst the fixed plunger 34s, moves the sleeve laterally, and throwsthe teeth out of mesh.

To release the sleeve and allow it to be thrown back into mesh bypressure of coil spring 37, it is necessary to force'downward theplunger 34a out of engagement with cam 35. The operation of this clutchwill be obvious to all who are familiar with such devices. By thisVmeans the shaft 13 and the ycrank 14 make one complete revolution and Inoperation, a plurality of metal plates are placed on the table memberwith the receding middle portions of their ragged ends resting againstguard 3S; the air piston is operated to bring the prongs 24, 24, inwardso as to straighten the pl atcs'out in reference to the table member andto bring them into proper position relative to each other and to thestationary member; the foot pedal is used to set the press drivingmechanism in operation; the member 19 folds over upon the stationarytable member 22, thereby creasing the plates at their middle point andoverlapping them in folded position between the table members. The knifemembers 20 and 23 shear off-.all of that end of the plate whichprotrudes beyond the edge of the stationary table member. In theshearing operation, the advancing end of shear blade 20 abuts againstthe end of guard 38, depressing it as the shearing operation takesplace, the-excess being sheared off on a cross line just behind thepoint of contact of the guard against the plate edges, the guard beingreerected by its spring 40 when member 19 is thrown back. The other endbeing already square cut, after folding there is therefore an absolutelysquare cut as to both ends of the plates.

Tt will be understood that the Sheets are placed on the machine with oneend of the pack resting upon the guard 38, its other end lying insidethe knife 2O on the folding member. The guard 38 is made of a stem orshaft fitted loosely in a receiving socket 39 at the end of the mainframe and is supported upon a coil spring 40 at the bottom of thesocket, so that it engages the ends of the plates as they are thrownover and coperates with the gripping action in holding them in positionduring the folding process, and is pushed downward into its casing andout of the way by contacting pressure of flange 19"L upon the upper sideof the projecting pack when the table members are brought into linalfolded position simultaneously with the shearing operation.

The many uses and advantages of my machine will be obvious to those whoare familiar with this art. It is to be understood that the many changesor variations of mechanical construct-ion or detail which may be made inthe actual machine are to be considered as within the scope of myinvention.

I claim:

1. A machine of the class described comprising a stationary tableprovided at its end with a resiliently mounted guard device, a movablemember hinged to the table and adapted to fold thereupon, driving meansadapted to actuate the movable member, independently actuated laterallymovable arms located inwardly of the table edges adapted to aline andresiliently grip metal sheets upon' the stationary table, fluid actuatedmeans for operating said arms simultaneously in opposite directions, anda knife xed on the movable member, wherebyy to simultaneously fold thesheets and shear their ends.

2. A machine for folding and shearing metal sheets composed of astationary table provided at its end with a resiliently mounted guarddevice, a movable member adapted to lie in open position inapproximately the same plane as the table and to fold thereupon, a knifefixed on the outer edge of the stationary table, a co-acting knife onthe oi'lter edge of the movable member, driving means adapted to actuatethe movable member, and fluid actuated laterally operable levermechanism having laterally movable arms extending upwardly through thetable adapted to engage the sheets edgewise and mld them in a fixed trueposition on the table and movable member, whereby the plates may besimultaneously folded and their ends sheared.

3. In a machine for simultaneously folding and shearing metal plates,the combination of a stationary table member, a movable member adaptedto supplement the table in receiving the metal plates and to foldthereupon, means for actuating the movable member, a knife on the outeredge of the movable member, forks adapted to engage the metal plateslaterally whereby to bring them into true position with relation to eachother and with relation to the folding member and table, and liuidoperated actuating means for said forks, whereby to simultaneously foldthe plates and shear their ends squarely. l*

4. In a machine for folding and shearing sheet metal, a stationary tableprovided with laterally arranged clearance slots, a resiliently mountedguard device at one end of said table, a movable folding platen hingedto the stationary table having means adapted to fold it over upon saidtable, slidably mounted arms extending upwardly through lst theclearance slots of the stationary table, and means for simultaneouslymoving said arms toward or from each other.

5. A machine for folding and shearing metal plates composed of astationary table, a movable member adapted to lie in open position inapproximately the same plane as the table and to fold thereupon, drivingmeans to actuate the movable member, forks adapted to work through slotsin the table and to grip the metal plates, air pressure operated meansto actuate the forks, and a knife on the folding member, whereby metalplates of varying size may be simultaneously folded and their endssheared.

6. In a machine for folding and shearing sheet metal, a stationary tableprovided with an endmost stationary shear blade, a resiliently mountedguard device beyond said shear blade, a movable folding platen hinged tosaid table having means adapted to fold it over thereon and providedwith a terminal shear blade adapted to co-act with the table shearblade, laterally movable arms extending through portions of the tableand platen adapted to engage sheets edgewise to straighten a pack ofsheets, and means for simultaneously moving said arms toward or fromeach other.

7. In combination, a stationary table provided with an endmoststationary shear blade, a resiliently mounted depressible guard devicelocated beyond the shear blade, a'movable platen hinged to said tablehaving means adapted to fold it over thereon and provided with aterminal shear blade adapted to co-act with the table shear blade, andmeans for moving the sheets of a pack laterally to bring their sideedges together prior to folding and shearing them.

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature in the presence oftwo Witnesses.

OLIVER P. COLLINS.

Witnesses:

Jo. BAILY BROWN, C. M. CLARKE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C.

